SensoPellet: A new tool to investigate signalling and motility in the lower digestive tract

慢性便秘和大便失禁在老年人中很普遍，往往导致社会孤立。关于为什么这些疾病会随着年龄的增长而发生，我们知之甚少;然而，它们被归类为功能性肠病。信号分子如血清素调节肠道的运动，因此研究这些信号分子的变化可能有助于我们理解这些疾病。在这个拟议的项目中，我们的目标是开发一种新的医疗设备，称为SensoPellet，这是一种基于传感器的设备，成型为粪便颗粒的形状。该装置将用于了解正常排便的过程。该装置将由碳复合材料电极组成，电极被封装在一个模制成粪便小球形状的空腔中。该器械将表征其在结肠组织中进行稳定生物记录的适用性。生物记录将允许同时监测血清素水平和成像颗粒运动的方法，以了解末端肠运动的过程。该装置帮助我们阐明正常排便过程的能力对于了解年龄相关疾病发作期间发生的变化或目前使用的各种治疗剂如何改变结肠运动性非常重要。

Chronic constipation and faecal incontinence are prevalent in the elderly and often lead to social isolation. Little is known regarding why these conditions occur with age; however they have been classified as functional bowel disorders. Signalling molecules such as serotonin regulate the motility of the bowel, and therefore investigating alterations in these signalling molecules may help our understanding of these disorders. In this proposed project we aim to develop a new medical device, known as the SensoPellet, which is a sensor based device moulded into the shape of a faecal pellet. This device will be used to understand the process of normal defecation. The device will consist of carbon composite electrodes encased in a cavity moulded into the shape of a faecal pellet. This device will be characterised for its suitability for conducting stable biological recordings in colonic tissue. Biological recordings will allow the means to simultaneously monitor serotonin levels and image the motion of the pellet to understand the process of terminal bowel motility. The ability of the device to help us elucidate the process of normal defecation is important to understand what changes occur during the onset of age related disorders or how colonic motility is altered by various therapeutic agents utilised at present.